


At the Christmas Party Hop

by Strength_in_pain



Series: Comforting Peter Parker because he deserves love [21]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Bully Flash Thompson, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party Invitations, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Flash Thompson Needs a Hug, Flash Thompson Redemption, Gen, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Is Kind To Flash, Peter Wants Everyone To Be Happy, Precious Peter Parker, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:55:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28031982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strength_in_pain/pseuds/Strength_in_pain
Summary: “Flash, I forgive you, okay?” Peter replied simply. Flash blinked, his hands curling into fists.“You... you can’t,” his voice sounded strangled and small.ORFlash seems exceptionally grumpy around the holidays, and Peter has no idea why, but Peter just wants everyone to be happy so he does something he never thought he would.
Relationships: Betty Brant & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Flash Thompson
Series: Comforting Peter Parker because he deserves love [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1698844
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	At the Christmas Party Hop

**Author's Note:**

  * For [broadway_hufflepuff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_hufflepuff/gifts).



> To my good friend broadway_hufflepuff who loves Flash and Peter’s relationship. This story isn’t too amazing when it comes to Flash’s redemption but it’s still got all the elements I think you’ll enjoy.
> 
> Happy Holidays friend!

Peter entered Midtown high with his hands full of invitations. He glanced over at the ribbons lining the halls and smiled as he saw Betty hanging decorations on the school tree. After Liz left school, Betty had taken over as Homecoming Queen. She was in charge of so many clubs, Peter had no idea how that girl did it all. Then again, Ned was often saying the same thing about Peter and how he could juggle both Spider-Man and school. 

As if on cue, Ned moseyed on into the school and stood behind Peter looking over his shoulder, “What do you got there?”

“Jeez, Ned.” Peter hissed, trying to calm his speeding heart. 

“Sorry. I was doing that thing again, wasn’t I?” Ned asked, his fingers already brushing over the invitations in Peter’s hand. 

“Yeah... no, it’s okay. You just scared me. Um, these are my Christmas Party invitations. Before you say anything, this wasn’t my idea, dude.”

Ned chuckled under his breath. “Could this idea possibly have been created by a little elf named May?”

Peter nodded. “She thinks I need to cherish my high school years and give my beloved friends at Midtown high something to remember me by.”

“She does realize you’re only a sophomore right? You’re not graduating any time soon and you’re not moving - wait, you’re not moving right?

“I’m not moving.”

Ned sagged his shoulders, and took an invitation out of Peter’s hands. “So, she wants you to be more popular with your friends? Is that it?”

“No, she’s just been in this weird loving mood since Christmas break is approaching which is _**way**_ better than the mood she’s recently been in, so I’m accepting this Christmas party as a blessing.”

“Oh you mean the kick Peter’s butt mood she’s been in?”

“Yeah, that mood. That mood sucked.”

“Well, you did lie to her for a solid two years about being Spider-Man.”

Peter nodded sadly, knowing all too well that Ned was right.

“And when she finally did find out the truth, it wasn’t because you sat down told her like the thoughtful considerate young nephew she thought she raised you to be, but because she found you standing in your bedroom with the Spider-Man suit on. I mean, if I was your Aunt, I’d probably be in a kick Peter’s butt mood too.” 

“Thank you, Ned. I really appreciate the recap but I’m well aware of what happened. _Anyways_ , that’s why I gotta hand out these invitations. If she’s in a good mood because of this party, then I need to throw this party.”

“It will be nice to get to hang out with you outside of school again.” Ned said. 

Peter nodded. “Agreed.” They slapped one another’s hands, doing their long handshake. “Besides, now I have the chance to get to know some other people outside of school too.” Peter’s eyes drifted towards the girl standing at her locker reading a book. Michelle Jones. But her friends call her MJ. Peter really wanted to get to know her more. It was difficult to have long conversations with her because Peter was never around and when he was, MJ didn’t like to open up about stuff. But that made her interesting and plus, Peter thought maybe she might like him. She does observe him a lot. 

“Dude!” Ned exclaimed, still looking at the envelopes in Peter’s hands, “How many people does your Aunt want you to invite?There’s like forty invitations.”

“Not forty.” Peter huffed, yanking his invitations away from Ned. “Just twenty, and May said I don’t have to use all of them.”

Ned nodded solemnly. “Am I invited?” His voice held a pinch of innocence and worry, as if he didn’t know the answer. 

“Yeah of course you are!” Peter quickly fumbled to hand his best friend an invitation. Ned clapped and immediately ripped open the envelope. “Is it gonna be Star Wars themed.”

“No - uh - Christmas themed.” Peter explained. He smiled when he saw Ned’s eyes brighten. 

“Oh wow! She booked it in that fancy Church, whoa, she booked it in the back room for the entire night.”

“Again, we don’t have to use the whole time. May just wanted to make sure she didn’t have to rush anyone, you know?”

Ned nodded, turning his attention to Betty who was wearing a beautiful midnight blue sweater and white jeans. She had a pair of snowflake earring to go with her attire. 

Ned pointed to Betty and mouthed the words, “Invite her.” Peter nodded. He already planned on inviting Betty since she was one of Liz’s friends. He had a small list made-up and he handed it to Ned to review. 

“Wow. You’re so organized. Look at this list.”

Peter tried to suppress his smile as Ned looked over the list. Betty finished placing the last of her decorations and began descending the latter. Peter walked over to her. 

He never really associated with the homecoming court and talking to Betty was wildly intimidating but Peter knew he wanted to do this. Betty could be really nice for all he knew. He needed to give her a chance. 

“H-Hi. Betty? Um. Hi.”

“Hey...” She looked around the hallway, as if searching for an excuse to leave the very awkward conversation that was no doubt about to occur. That, or she was embarrassed to be seen talking to someone like Peter.

“I like the decorations.” He blurted, trying to be polite. 

“Thanks.” She said, offering him a small smile.

“It’s nice to know Liz left the decorating committee in such good hands.”

Now Betty offered a real genuine smile. “Well we try to live up to her high standards.”

“I think you are doing a great job.”

“Thank you... Peter. That’s your name right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, my name is Peter. Um, sorry. This is awkward but I just wanted to give you this. You don’t have to go. But if you want, you can.”

Betty took the invitation, stunned. She read through it slowly. “Aww Peter. This is so sweet. No has ever invited me to a Christmas party before.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Seriously? But you’re Betty Bryant.”

Betty laughed. “You’re cute. I see why Liz liked you. But yeah, nobody I know wants to have fun innocent parties anymore. It’s always about getting drunk in someone’s basement while their parents are away. I’ve stopped going to parties all together honestly. But your party on the other hand is a different story. I would love to go.”

“Really?”

Betty nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Thanks. I can’t wait to see you there.” Peter said, watching as she folded the letter. 

“You should invite Randy Robertson. He’s so cute.”

She stacked her boxes on top of one another and began walking down the hall. Peter turned to Ned and high-fived him. 

“Did you just see that?!”

“She said yes?” Ned asked. 

“She said yes.” Peter hugged his friend out of pure excitement. This stuff never happened to someone like him. Ned jumped up and down with him shouting, “Dude! We’re gonna be so popular.”

“Aww if it isn’t the powderpuff girls hugging each other. Isn’t that cute.”

Peter ripped himself away from Ned and spun around to face none other than Flash Thompson. 

“What’s up, Penis?”

Neither Peter nor Ned said anything. They were both fine with ignoring this jerk if all he had was petty insults to throw at them. 

“I’ll see you in class.” Peter said to his friend, before turning to walk away. Ned agreed and walked in the other direction.

“And then you two can continue your secret love fest after class.” Flash shouted after then, making an obnoxious kissing sound. 

_________________

Peter slapped his tray down on the plastic cafeteria table, next to MJ and Ned took a seat next to him. 

“Ah, a tofu burger and cereal bar.” Peter noted the well-balanced meal on MJ’s lunch tray. “Did you become a vegetarian over night?”

“No.” MJ pushing aside her well-thumbed copy of _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_ to reveal a small pack of chicken nuggets she brought from Wendy’s. “I went out for breakfast this morning, got some Wendy’s, so I’m not hungry.” 

“Oh, why’d you go out?”

MJ shrugged. “Sometimes my Mom pulls me out of school so we can bond or whatever.”

“That’s nice.” Peter said to which MJ shrugged. 

“So what are you eating, dork? Another hot dog? Do you ever eat anything else?”

“They’re cheap.” Peter mumbled. “Anyways, MJ, I wanted to give you this.” He handed her the envelope. She took it and stuck it in her book. 

“Thank you. I’ve been looking for a new bookmark.”

“No - uh - it’s an invitation.” Peter felt his face heat up and he turned to Ned for help. 

“Peter’s Aunt is hosting this amazing Christmas Party. They’re going to have games and music and maybe even Star Wars themed action fights.”

“No Star Wars stuff, but everything else is true.” Peter said. 

“So you’re inviting me because?”

“Cause you’re my friend.” 

MJ stared at him for a second, unblinkingly. She then looked back at the envelope. “I’ll think about it.” She said. But Peter had a feeling that meant yes. 

“Okay. Thanks.” He said, “Does anyone want to look over my history notes before the exam?”

Ned nodded and made grabby hands at Peter’s notebook. While they were exchanging notes, Peter noticed a commotion occurring at the far end of the cafeteria. 

Flash was giving some girl a hard time about something stupid like the type of t-shirt she was wearing. The girl just about threw her tray at his face. 

“Wearing that shirt is like a slap in the face to the most iconic band ever!” Flash screamed. 

“Screw you. I’m not about to change what I’m wearing for someone else. If you don’t like it, that’s your problem.” The girl yelled. 

“I bet you don’t even know their albums.”

Another guy, who insulted Peter just as often as Flash did, started hassling the girl too. He was Flash’s right-hand-man, Tiny, which was hilarious because there was nothing tiny about him. 

“Whatever. I’m not changing for him.” The girl repeated. 

“You should be slapped in the face for wearing that shirt.” Flash said loud enough for the cafeteria staff to call over security. 

“Oh for the love of God, I didn’t actually hit her.” Flash muttered as the officers took him out of the room, no doubt taking him right to the principals. “Don’t touch me! This is a brand new shirt. And unlike _some_ people, mine is actually an appropriate shirt.”

The girl threw her middle finger in the air and waved it around in circles. Flash went to return the gesture, but the security officers were holding his arms down. 

“What is his problem?” Ned asked quietly. “I mean, I know Flash is a jerk, but this is excessive even for him.”

“I don’t know, but I heard he stole the choirs decorations.” MJ mumbled.

“Why would he do that?” 

“Who knows,” Ned sighed. “All I know is he is not on the nice list this year.”

_____________________

The next day, Peter was really, really late to school. A certain Spider-Man incident occurred earlier than he wanted at the coffee shop he visited with his friend Harry and well, it lasted longer than Peter wanted.

Harry Osborne went to a different high-school than Peter, but they both were good friends in middle school and Peter wanted to invite him to his Christmas Party. So he did. But what he didn’t count on was the ugly dressed super-freak who tried to rob the place. Who robs a coffee shop? Peter assumed someone desperate for money. So that’s why he spent the rest of his time talking to the villain and convincing her that she didn’t need to steal rather than webbing her up and leaving her for jail. It was the season of second chances after all. Peter was certain he got through to her which was great, except for the fact that he was now four hours late for class. 

He walked into the front office, feeling overwhelmingly ashamed for his fifteenth tardy of the month. 

“Parker.” A stern voice scolded. “Do we need to have a conversation in my office about your attendance.”

“No sir.” Peter said, knowing it was Principal Morita. He didn’t need to look up from his view at the floor. “S-Sorry. I was - was - I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Did you miss your bus?”

Peter nodded. He definitely wasn’t on time for the bus. 

“Did you not have enough money for the subway?”

Peter nodded again, because well, he did have _some_ money for the subway, but at the same time, if he wanted to eat dinner, then he didn’t have enough. 

Mr. Morita sighed. “How did you get here? Did you walk? Because your face looks rosy like you were out in the cold.”

Peter nodded again because yes his face was indeed frozen from the icy cold New York winds as he flung himself through the city on his webs. He really should have left his mask on a bit longer to keep his face from turning a bright cherry red. But Peter liked to feel the wind through his hair. 

“Okay.” Principal Morita sighed. “Wait here, I’ll write you an excuse note. But please try to make the bus next time, got it?”

“Yes sir.” Peter nodded vigorously, grateful that Mr. Morita was being more lenient towards him ever since the start of December. It was probably thanks to the infectious holiday spirit which made everyone in a better mood. 

CLANK 

Through the glass doors of the office, Peter saw Flash slamming something heavy into a box. He shifted it around carelessly, almost bashing it against the box in a repeated motion. 

CLING CLANG CLANK

Well, the holidays made _almost_ everyone in a better mood. 

“Mr. Thompson, please don’t break the box.” A secretary warned him and Flash mumbled an apology, as he placed more items from his backpack into the box. 

Looking closer, Peter noticed the items were a bunch of toys. Flash was putting toys into a... donations box. 

“Thank you for your contribution, Mr. Thompson.” The secretary said when she realized he had finally stopped banging things around. 

Flash shrugged. “My Dad says I’m too old for toys anyway, and he’s right. But they still have some emotional nostalgia for me, so please just give them to a nice family. One that will treat the toys well.”

“We’ll try our best.” 

Flash nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Is Mr. Morita ready to see me now?”

“Just a minute dear. He’s writing a note for another student.”

Peter quickly ducked his gaze the second Flash darted his eyes towards the waiting room. Looking anywhere but at the glass doors, Peter tapped his foot anxiously. 

A minute later and Peter was handed an excuse note and sent on his way to class. His teacher accepted him warmly, then handed him a sheet of paper. Tossing his backpack on the floor, Peter slid into his seat and tapped Ned’s shoulder. But Ned shook his head and pointed to the white board which specifically said, test in progress: no talking. 

With only twenty minutes left to finish his test, Peter felt a little rushed, but he got most of it done before the bell rang. 

After class he ran to meet up with Ned so he could tell him what happened in the front office. But Ned had other thoughts.

“Dude, did you invite everyone on the list?”

“Wha- oh. No. I invited the entire decathlon team, except for Flash - speaking of which I gotta tell you something -“

“What about Harry did you invite him?”

“Yeah I invited him this morning.”

“And Miles?”

“Yeah. I got him.”

“Anya?” 

“No, I still need to ask her. Ned, listen to me for a minute -“

“You want me to ask her, huh? Say no more. I’m on it.” 

Peter sighed in frustration as his friend ran off to find Anya. He glanced at his smart phone and noticed he had four missed texts from his Aunt, the last one did not look promising. 

_You better call me this instant._

Oh May. She was never one for those cute emojis or abbreviations when she was mad. 

Great. More yelling from May this holiday season to really brighten his mood. Peter started dialing her number, but as other students passed through the hall talking loudly, he darted into the men’s room. 

“Hello,” he greeted when the called picked up, but May was less than cheerful. She started yelling at him for being on the news again, angry about the whole Spider-Man business. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you earlier but I was in class... yes, I’m at school right now... no I’m okay. It just a little cut... okay okay, if I feel dizzy I’ll go to the nurse. Love you, May. Bye.” He hung up the phone and quickly shoved it back in his jean pocket. How was he supposed to know May wanted him to call her every time he finished a fight as Spider-Man? 

He took a look at himself in the mirror and smiled. His hair was still brushed back, and no strands were falling in his face so that was a plus side to the day. Maybe he should have given his hairspray product a good review on Amazon. 

All of a sudden he heard a sniffle and Peter nearly jumped out of his skin. Before now he thought he was alone in the bathroom. No one’s feet were under the stalls, but Peter could very easily hear the loud muffled sniffles now.

He had no idea what to do. People cry all the time in school bathrooms for a variety of reasons. Peter knew this from experience. He cried because he failed a science exam, Ned cried because he was being bullied, Miles cried because he was so lonely he couldn’t help himself. He felt more at place eating lunch in the bathroom stalls than in the cafeteria where no one ever seemed to get along. 

But the reason everyone cries in the bathroom is because it’s private. Peter didn’t want to intrude on this person’s privacy but he felt the overwhelming urge to help. That’s just who Peter was. Still, he knew better than to intrude on a private bathroom cry, so he left and waited outside the men’s room to see who would exit. 

He waited a long time, even missed part of sixth period, but at last, his wait payed off. The student that emerged from the bathroom was none other than Flash Thompson. He was walking with a stride now, as if he wasn’t just sobbing into a roll of toilet paper ten minutes ago. Then again, Peter remembered his own bathroom cry and knew that afterwards he pretended it never happened as well. 

Any thoughts Peter had about comforting the crying soul went out the window when he saw who it was. Flash Thompson wasn’t exactly his friend, and he was just about the last person on earth Peter would think to comfort. But something was going on with him. He’s been so upset recently, more than usual, and Peter has no idea why. 

____________________

He decided to asked May her thoughts on the matter at dinner that night. 

“Can I ask you something?” 

“If it’s about not calling me after you are thrown against a coffee counter and nearly drilled to death by a blender, then no. You may not ask me something.”

It was ridiculous how many civilians would rather pull out a cell-phone and film spider-man getting the crap kicked out of him, rather than getting to safety. Peter shook his head at the memory, irritated that May had seen the whole footage in the first place.

“It’s not about that. I promise I’ll call next time but -“

“Like you promised you would take out the trash?”

Peter turned his head to their overflowing trash bin and bit his lip. “I brought us home dinner. That counts for me completing half my chores, right?”

“I thought we decided your punishment was to do _more_ chores, not less.”

Peter sighed inwardly. “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry I lied to you about being Spider-Man. Because I really am sorry.”

“Let’s see. How long did you lie to me again?”

Peter closed his eyes, realizing he walked right into that one. 

“Oh that’s right, two years.”

“May.” Peter whined. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

She sighed heavily. “Sorry doesn’t always cut it, Peter.”

“It’s Christmas time.” Peter whispered hoping to pull May out of her angry mood. It sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t. He really wished he would have remembered to take out the stupid trash. Then maybe she wouldn’t be so irritated.

“I know. I know.” May shook her body, as if trying to snap herself out the funk she was in. “So what did you want to ask me?”

“How can people not love the holidays? It’s a time for joy, family, presents and miracles. It’s called the best time of the year for a reason, right? So why are some people so miserable?”

“Well, not everybody has a joyful family they can spend time with and some people can’t spend time with their loved ones at all because they could be across seas or working at hospitals. Sometimes people just find the holidays too stressful to enjoy.”

Peter sat back, “That’s ridiculous.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, all that sucks of course, but this is the one time of year where we can come together and lift each other up. There’s no need to be a grinch about it. We lost Ben and we are still cheery to everyone. We never got mean about the holidays.”

“Our experiences aren’t the same as everyone else’s. You can’t judge it like that. Everyone copes differently.”

Peter frowned even deeper. May placed her hand on his. “Hey,” she tried to make eye-contact. “Pete, where’s this coming from? Was someone mean to you at school?”

Peter shook his head. “Not more than usual. It was Flash... he just seemed so sad... and angry. I don’t understand. I want him to be happy this time of year, which is weird because he makes my life miserable but I can’t stand seeing him so upset.”

May squeezed his hand. “These are the moments that make me so proud of you. You know that? You have such a big heart, Peter, and I am so proud of you for caring this much about someone that has hurt you.”

Peter smiled, a blush creeping across his face. “Thanks May. I just want to do something for him.”

“Why don’t you invite him to our Christmas Party?”

At first Peter laughed, snuffling his mouth into his sleeve so he wouldn’t snort out his green beans. But then he thought it over. And maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. 

“Seriously? You wouldn’t mind?”

“I wouldn’t if you wouldn’t.”

__________________

Flash was cornering a kid against his locker when Peter approached him.

“Let him go, Flash.”

“Oh hey, Parker. You wanna take his place?” Flash shoved the kid away, watching as he stumbled out into the open and empty hall with a limp. 

“Don’t worry Peter! I’ll get a teacher!” The boy shouted as he dashed down the hallway. 

“School’s over for Christmas break and you’re starting your break by abusing freshman?”

“And I’ll end it by kicking your ass.” Flash snarled. 

Peter pushed down the bubbling anger that began to rise in his chest. This was impossible. He had no idea why he thought this was going to be a good idea.

“So what will it be, Parker? A beating or should I stuff you in one of these lockers all break long.”

“Do you want to come to a Christmas Party?” Peter blurted, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. This was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable.

Flash stumbled back as if he was slapped, completely knocked off his guard. “You’re - wait - you’re inviting me to a - what?”

Peter shrugged. “I have a lot of extra invitations and well... I want you to come.”

“You can’t do this.” Flash said swallowing hard, “You can’t be nice to me when I’ve been so mean to you. That’s not how this works.”

“I’m not mad at you for all the stuff you’ve done.” Peter explained. “I know sometimes people can end up feeling more alone around the holidays so I just thought maybe if you’re not busy, you could maybe come to the old church and hang out.”

“You should be mad at me! I tease you all the time, I’ve been a _jerk_ to you and your friends every day this month.” 

“Flash, I forgive you, okay?” Peter replied simply. Flash blinked, his hands curling into fists. 

“You... you can’t,” his voice sounding strangled and small. 

“I can.” Peter said, “And I am. Now would you please say yes, because we’re going to have a lot of food, and drinks and party games and it’s going to be really fun, so please just say you’re coming.”

“Parker, stop. Just stop. I don’t - I don’t deserve this. No one is going to want me there. It’s going to be hella awkward. So just forget it.”

“You know Flash, I’ve been thinking a lot lately. Maybe if everyone stops telling you you’re this hopeless jerk, then maybe you’ll stop seeing yourself that way. Yes, the party will be awkward, but it’s my party and I want you there. Even if other people feel so uncomfortable they decide to leave, that’s their decision. But I’ll still be there. And trust me, my friends are good people. Everyone I invited will give you a chance. They might yell at me a little for inviting you, but I don’t care. So what do you say?”

Flash said nothing. He looked like he was maybe blinking back tears, though Peter couldn’t be sure. At long last, he finally nodded his head very slowly. 

“I’ll go.” Flash he whispered, still processing everything. 

“Great! Awesome! Okay, here you go.” Peter handed him the envelope. “Um... I’ll see you later, I guess.”

“If this is a trick, I swear -“

“No tricks. I promise.”

Peter pivoted, walking towards the exit doors of the school building, but not without sparing a quick glance back at the boy who was reading his invitation and grinning from ear to ear. Peter hoped that maybe he somehow helped him feel a little bit better this holiday season. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! :) 
> 
> Oh! Also, I finally started an Instagram account for my AO3 account where I only post and talk about my stories. So if you want to talk to me through DMs or comment questions on my story, my @ is Strength_in_pain (it was awesome! I got to keep the same name as I have here.) Okay everyone! Have a great day.


End file.
